Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

vert001 TWENTY MILLION SWEETHEARTS has no Busby Berkeley production numbers, indeed, has no dancing at all, and replaces stalwart Ruby Keeler with Ginger Rogers, but mostly it's a typical second string musical from a studio that put out a million of them in the thirties. So far as plot is concerned, Pat O'Brien is the actual star, playing the sort of fast- talking hustler, this one a talent scout, that showed up in countless Warners' pictures of the decade. Besides O'Brien, Lee Tracy made a career out of them, and Jimmy Cagney in his lighter moments was another of the brotherhood. This time it's O'Brien pushing a new singing sensation towards a radio career. Dick Powell is the very passive object of his machinations, and other than having some unusually nice songs to sing (the big hit, I'll String Along With You, is beaten to death in the movie), this is the kind of role that left him deeply dissatisfied and led to his surprising turn to tough guy Noir parts later in his career.House composers Warren and Dubin came up with a very nice score, and it is the picture's strong point. What there is of humor in TWENTY MILLION SWEETHEARTS is mostly provided by Allen Jenkins and Ginger Rogers, and one wishes that their roles had been considerably extended. A very nice duet (or was it a quintet?) between Powell and the Mills Brothers of a song sung rousingly by Rogers a few scenes earlier was another highlight. The plot contrivances, however, are anything but rousing and pull the movie down to the mediocre level.One thing I didn't understand: Dick Powell wows everyone with a rendition of 'The Man On The Flying Trapeze' while working as a singing waiter, but when he performs the same number as a radio audition it's seen as embarrassingly awful by everyone who hears it. What happened?

mark.waltz Vallee and Crosby have their work cut out for them as new radio sensation Dick Powell threatens to knock them off the shelf in the competition of crooners. Pat O'Brien is desperate to score a new radio romeo in order to get back in good with boss Grant Mitchell who fired him because he couldn't find another Crosby or the now forgotten Ross Columbo. Every movie studio had a top crooner, it seems, and Powell, already established as Warner Brothers' top singing dog, gets to spoof that image. This Warner Brothers musical comedy successfully spoofs the image of the popular male singers of the time, not really altered until some skinny guy named Frankie came along to knock these heartthrobs off the microphone.Having scored with wide eyed Ruby Keeler in a series of impressive dance musicals, Powell gets a popular rising star from RKO as his leading lady here, and she ain't dancin' with the skinny but elegant Fred. Ginger Rogers, who had supporting roles in a couple of those smash hits with Powell, has her only romantic co- starring role opposite him, and she's a combination of fiery cynicism and good hearted sweetness. This is Warner Brothers musical comedy at its most delightful, and no matter how silly it gets at times, there's never a shortage of delights on it. In addition to a song from Ginger herself, there's also performances from specialty acts like the Mills Brothers and the comical Radio Rogues who imitate popular acts of the time. Fine support also is provided by Allen Jenkins who was one of the top cynical comics of his day. Powell's repeated "I'll String Along With You", is seemingly over and over, but for so be reason, I don't get tired of it. The rhythms of the 1930's will put a song in your heart, and the melody still lingers on 80+ years later.

itsmits The adolescent who viewed this movie in 1934 could not possibly have guessed that he would be viewing it again more than seven decades later. The 'hit of the day', "I'll String Along With You" by Dubin and Warren which was introduced in "20 Million Sweethearts" is as fresh as ever today. Dick Powell who was often paired with Ruby Keeler in the memories of many, actually made more musical movies with other female stars such as Joan Blondell, Marion Davies, Rosemary Lane, Priscilla Lane, Gloria Stuart, Ann Dvorak, Doris Weston, Anita Louise and Josephine Hutchison.If a decade is to be characterized by a single male singer, it would be difficult to find a more industrious actor-singer than Mr. Powell. Bing Crosby was also popular but the many others who tried never seemed to appear as often as did Dick Powell. In this low budget movie, which did not have the huge production numbers associated with Busby Berkeley, a fast paced simple plot with many sparkling musical numbers made it a success. Of course, the presence of the gifted Ginger Rogers as a co-star helped immensely. ( This was before she was to star in "Top Hat")A stalwart supporting cast of Pat O'Brien, Allen Jenkins, Grant Mitchell and Joseph Cawthorn carried the story. This was backed up with many numbers by the original Four Mills Bros. "Out For No Good" rendered by the four together with Powell is a real treat. Sadly, a scant two years later, John Jr expired suddenly and John Sr was prevailed upon to 'fill in'. Thus it is that the quartet was to consist of a father and three sons for the major part of its successful career. The Radio Rogues bring back memories of other stars of the era with their great imitations of Ben Bernie, Kate Smith, Joe Penner, Morton Downey, to mention a few. If this movie appears on your TV schedule, by all means, grab the opportunity to look behind the scenes of how the major entertainment media of the 30's, radio, operated and enjoy the music.

skybar20 I found this film to be light hearted and great fun musically. Grant Mitchell almost steals the show as the near apoplectic manager of the radio station. It's always fun to see radio settings in old movies, as it's a form of entertainment (in this manner) long gone. Dick Powell displays the boyish charm that made him a hit in movies. Ginger Rogers, often overlooked as the great film actress that she was, gives her usual excellent performance as does Pat O'Brien. The opening of the film, with The Radio Rogues doing horrible impersonations of then celebrities (some of whom are long forgotten), gets off to a wobbly start, but things manage to pick up with O'Brien's character setting the pace. The Mills Brothers lend a wonderful contribution with their smooth effortless song style. I liked this film and would urge anyone who enjoys the music of the early and mid 1930s to tune in when it's scheduled.